PRINCE William today urged the earthquake-stricken city of Christchurch to "be strong".

PRINCE William today urged the earthquake-stricken city of Christchurch to "be strong".

In a speech to tens of thousands of people at a memorial service in the city, the royal told the crowd they were an "inspiration to all people".

William is on a tour of disaster-stricken areas of New Zealand and Australia on behalf of the Queen.

He has seen firsthand the damage to the centre of Christchurch, which was hit by the quake on February 22, and also met rescue workers and volunteers.

After a visit to the town of Sumner, which was badly hit by the quake, the prince attended the National Christchurch Memorial Service in the city.

While some feared people would stay away, the city's Hagley Park was packed with tens of thousands of well-wishers.

At the start of the service the crowd watched a 14-minute video showing the damage caused by the earthquake.

Stages set up in the park were decorated with flowers meant for the Ellerslie International Flower Show, due to happen in Christchurch in March, which was cancelled after the quake.

William, who donned a Korowai - a traditional Maori feathered cloak - was welcomed by Henare Rakiihia Tau, from the Ngai Tuahuriri sub-tribe, who in a speech to the gathered crowd, told William to "nibble at the apple and be fruitful".

In his own address, William said he was conveying his own message, as well as one from his grandmother.

Referring to a message sent from The Queen to the people of New York after the events of September 11, he said: "My grandmother once said that grief is the price we pay for love.

"Here, today, we love, and we grieve.

"We honour the lives and memories of all those who did not survive the earthquake - New Zealanders, and those from many countries around the world who came to this city as visitors, or to make it their home.

"Our thoughts and our prayers are with the families, wherever they may be."

The prince told the crowd it was hard for them to "grasp the degree of admiration - indeed, awe", with which they were regarded by the rest of the world.

He also told the people they could appreciate more than anyone else the "full horror" of what was unfolding in Japan.

He said: "Courage and understated determination have always been the hallmark of New Zealanders, of Cantabrians. "These things the world has long known.

"But to see them so starkly demonstrated over these terrible, painful months has been humbling.

"Put simply, you are an inspiration to all people. I count myself enormously privileged to be here to tell you that.

"In the last two days, I have heard tales of great tragedy - but also of extraordinary bravery and selfless courage.

"Throughout, one phrase unites them all. With The Queen's heartfelt good wishes, and those of The Prince of Wales and other members of my family, I say it to you now: 'Kia kaha.' Be strong."

The prince's address was greeted with applause from the crowd, some of whom were sporting T-shirts reading: "Kia kaha".

Christchurch mayor Bob Parker spoke of the difficulty for people to understand why the quake had hit the city.

But in a rousing speech, he said: "It seems to me that those lives that have been lost have to be given real meaning in this city as it goes forward.

"We have to reach into our hearts and our spirits and our self belief and build a safer city so this thing can never happen again.

"We will rise, we will rebuild the city based on strength and optimism.

"We will have a city that again will be the most beautiful place on earth, that you and I could hope to live in."

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said those who lost their lives in the quake, which left more than 160 people dead, from other countries would be remembered by New Zealanders as they remembered their own.

He said: "We are conscious that we are united in our loss with families from more than 20 countries whose fate it was to have a loved one far far from home when the earthquake struck.

"We will remember your loved ones as we remember our own." Of all those who died in the quake, he said: "they are the faces of a Christchurch that will never be as it was again.

"The earthquake of February 22, 2011, has altered forever the lives of those who live here, no words or deeds can change that.

"So today we remember Christchurch as it was and we treasure the memory."

Mr Key also paid tribute to Japan's "desperate plight", adding: "For the people of Christchurch who have lived through two large earthquakes and many thousands of aftershocks these images of Japan bring flooding back the raw emotion and pain that accompanies such an event.

Earlier in the day, William was greeted by thousands of well wishers as he visited Sumner, taking time to hear their own personal stories from the February 22 quake.

The seaside town was badly hit by the quake - the most obvious sign of the damage is a huge boulder that fell from the cliff, narrowly missing the Returned Services Association (RSA) building.

Three people are believed to have died in the picturesque town, with many houses left uninhabitable.